State rejects hockey rink proposal for Middlesex Fells

Wednesday

Dec 19, 2018 at 1:49 PMDec 19, 2018 at 1:49 PM

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has informed Mayor Stephanie M. Burke that it will not move forward with the project.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has denied a proposal to build a recreational facility and ice hockey rink in the Middlesex Fells near South Border Road, Mayor Stephanie M. Burke announced in a Facebook post on Dec. 18.

Proposed by several Winchester residents involved in youth ice hockey, the facility would have spanned five acres in an area known as the 90mm site for its past use as an anti-aircraft testing ground by the U.S. Military.

The proposal received sharp criticism from Medford residents and elected officials, including Mayor Stephanie M. Burke and members of Medford’s state delegation. Over 1,000 Medford residents, along with hundreds of residents from other communities, signed a petition in opposition to the project.

Many who opposed the project expressed concern about the loss of a biodiverse natural habitat, as the 90mm site is home to dozens of species of birds and butterflies. The proposal would have derailed the efforts of volunteers, including Medford Girl Scouts, who are in the process of restoring the meadow and planting native plant species.

Friends of the Fells, a nonprofit organization that aims to protect the DCR-owned Middlesex Fells, had spearheaded a regional campaign against the proposal. In a Facebook post shared on Dec. 18, Friends of the Fells thanked residents and Burke for their support of the campaign, and DCR Commissioner Leo Roy for rejecting the project.

“We saved the forest!” Ron Morin, Executive Director of Friends of the Fells, said in an email to the Transcript.

Burke praised Friends of the Fells and interested residents for their commitment to ensuring that the project did not move forward.

“As a result of our efforts, our precious open space will remain just that,” Burke wrote.